Thanks to a generous gift from alumnus Mr. Frank H. Newell, the English Department awards prizes for outstanding student work in short fiction to currently enrolled undergraduate students. Department faculty nominated stories produced in fall creative writing classes, and winners were selected by Claire Alongi, WU alum and MFA candidate at the University of Montana.
First place: “underbellies” by Andrew Henne
Judge’s comments: "underbellies" reads like a modern fairytale, brilliantly borrowing from the genre's true grisly Grimm roots. With electric prose that manages to combine the skin-crawlingly strange with the undeniably lyrical, we are immersed in a reality that seems both more fantastical and more horrifying than our own.
Second place: “Sonatina for Violin in A-Sharp Minor” by Elise Fashimpaur
Judge’s comments: Like much great weird fiction, "Sonatina for Violin in A-Sharp Minor" takes its oddball conceit at face value and sharply uses it as a vehicle for humor, and as a means to explore the small yet profound experiences that make us human.
Third place: “Journey” by Priya Thoren
Judge’s comments: In a few short pages "Journey" manages to capture the inner turmoil of a young person with OCD, and in a painful and powerful way that's not framed for the endearing quirkiness often seen in popular media. The author deftly guides the reader through the logic of the narrator's compulsions and perfectly sticks the landing with a moment of hope.
Please be sure to congratulate these students when you see them on campus!
About Frank H. Newell
Mr. Newell graduated from Willamette University in 1949, and subsequently enjoyed a 58-year run in the newspaper and broadcast business. He got his start at Salem’s Capital Journal, where he began in the advertising department. Over the years, he worked his way up through the ranks, and ultimately served as publisher of several news outlets across the nation over his long and successful career. Mr. Newell did not slow down in retirement, however, and at 93, saw his first novel published. He long had a love for fiction writing, with a particular emphasis on short stories, and wanted to foster this interest in future generations of Willamette University students. Mr. Newell passed away in 2022.